The search is ongoing for a man believed to have raped an Indian-origin woman in northern England, an incident authorities are classifying as a “racially aggravated” attack. West Midlands police have released grainy CCTV footage offering potential clues about the suspect.
The victim, a woman in her 20s, was attacked in Walsall on Saturday evening. Police confirmed she was raped and assaulted at a nearby location by an unknown assailant and issued an urgent appeal for public assistance. Current descriptions of the suspect indicate he is a white male, in his 30s, with short or thinning hair. The CCTV footage shows him walking in an outdoor environment, possibly a park.
While official confirmation is pending, community groups have identified the victim as a Punjabi woman. This incident follows closely on the heels of another racially aggravated rape reported in the neighboring Oldbury area, involving a British Sikh woman, according to the PTI news agency.
Detective Superintendent Ronan Tyrer, leading the investigation, stated, “This was an absolutely appalling attack on a young woman, and we are doing absolutely everything we can to arrest the person responsible.”
Law enforcement agencies have deployed significant resources to gather evidence and develop a profile of the perpetrator. Police are urging anyone who may have seen a man acting suspiciously in the vicinity at the time of the incident to come forward. They are particularly interested in any dashcam or CCTV footage that could provide crucial leads.